A Tale of Two Friends
by ExtendedReclusion
Summary: Elsa is a new kid in school and has trouble making friends. With abusive relatives and no one to turn to, she feels very lonely. Anna tries to open her up and introduces Elsa to her friends, including Kristoff. The two girls bond over a great period of time, and have many experiences of pain and joy. Modern. Read on to find out more...
1. Remember the Past, but also Today

The door to the house on Malbury Road was finally opened after many months of inhabitance. This would be the start of a new beginning for the moving family, whom of which recently got off board their flight from New York. The family entered the empty house and transferred boxes into the kitchen. Failing to conceal their excitement, the two children ran upstairs to choose their bedrooms. The mother and father grinned at the sight of their happy offspring, and began of what would be hours of unpacking.

However, one of the children stayed behind to observe the structure of her new home. The girl, unusually small for her age, stroked her fingers against the white drywall, examining every detail of the new home.

The girl walked around the first floor, exploring the surroundings. She was pleased by her little exhibition, especially when she caught eye on the mini library near the north section of the house. As she continued east along the broad hallway, she found a door that lead to the garden. She opened it and was greeted by a chilling breeze. The girl smiled in delight, and relaxed in the open. There were beautiful flowers bordering the brown picket fence. Vivid colors of lavenders and violets were patched among the bushes, and there were even some pine trees that towered over, just behind the fence. The girl wondered what lie beyond the fence, and realized how her life now differed from the busy life in the city. She decided to sit down on the sweet, green grass, and took it all in. Her daydreams were shortly interrupted by a man's voice.

"I see you've found the garden. Took me awhile to get here actually, since the house is HUGE compared to the apartment back in the big apple."

The man sat down next to the girl and became enlightened at the array of summer colors, from the blue sky to the purple morning glories that sprinkled over the sides of the unsullied tool shed.

"This is quite a view we've got here. Nothing like that rusty excuse of a building back in the city. Well, I guess that means no more late night drunkenness and early morning traffic!," he joked.

His attempt to make the girl laugh failed, as usual. No matter what the man tried, he could never seem to make his niece laugh. The girl remained silent, and focused on the extravagant scenery.

"Seriously though, this is a very nice place. We're conveniently located near the high school, mall, grocery store, _my job_, and guess what….we're only fifty miles away from the beach!"

No response. The man felt ashamed of what he had put this girl through. He felt it was his responsibility now to take great care of her, and believed he failed to save his sister's family from death. The girl had a very rough childhood since birth, and all seemed to go to hell for her ever since the passing of her parents. Since then she had no friends, no specific interests, and no strong emotions towards other people. The one thing that she did have however was _fear_. Her uncle could see that, even if it took it him awhile to find out. It was odd to him that no kid her age could ever make her open up, not even his own children; her cousins. It was even more concerning that the girl's fifteenth birthday was fast approaching.

"Look Elsa…

He paused to calm down and explain, with some thought of what to say to the young girl. His tone became gentler; one that a father would use to comfort his child.

….you are going to love it here. You will finally get the time to know some new friends, and live a simpler life. The community is great here kiddo. There are more opportunities, and most importantly, it's much safer here. Your mother…

Another pause, this time accompanied with a sigh.

…..would have loved it here, and so would your father. They always envisioned you to live in a peaceful town, somewhere in the suburbs where you could live happily and let it all go. Sometimes you have to do what's right you know, even though it may not be easy."

Elsa gave a look of acceptance towards her uncle, and stood up, legs numb from sitting too long. She brushed the fragments of grass and dirt off her jeans and waited for some kind of proper dismissal from her uncle.

"I'm guessing we are done with our discussion Miss Elsa, you may carry along now your seriousness. There are rooms to be chosen upstairs, and I have to attend further to my duties," her uncle implied with an English accent. Once again he was being a comedian, in order to change the mood caused by their previous conversation.

His niece politely nodded and to his surprise, smiled at his witty joke. Then the girl ran inside and grabbed her luggage, heaving it up the two flights of stairs before disappearing into another hallway.

_Maybe he's right. Maybe I will find someone out here. Someone who will spend time with me. Someone who will visit me every day. Someone who will love me for who I am. Someone who will be my friend._


	2. Elsie

Elsa found herself in the third room, right across from the bathroom and her uncle's study. She walked around the fairly large space with her hand up to her chin, thinking if she should choose this one. It was indeed a big transition from her tiny apartment room; in fact she preferred sleeping in the living room rather than her uninhabitable room in the city. Of course her cousins would always tease her for her opinions; therefore she decided to have nothing to do with them.

Her cousins had the kindest parents in the world; providing many of the necessities that Elsa thought were mandatory. The couple had given her food, clothing, education, and now they had just given her a new roof over her head. Elsa could never be any more grateful. Unfortunately, the same did not go for the rats she called her cousins. They never seemed to appreciate the blessings that have been brought upon them. This lead the inquisitive girl to question that very fact.

_How could such pleasant people bear such immoral children? They are given the world, yet they want more? And why must they continue their abusive teasing!_

Yes, Elsa was bullied by her cousins often. It became an everyday thing. Sometimes it would end up in tears, especially one certain instance when she was just eight years old.

* * *

><p>Her parents dropped her off at her cousins to stay for the weekend, for they had very important business plans. Elsa had just gotten a new pet, a turtle which she named after the famous naturalist Charles Darwin. However, Elsa insisted on dropping the Charles, and merely called it Darwin.<p>

As she approached the door, her uncle jumped out with wide arms. He embraced her and gave her a big high-five before waving goodbye to his sister. Elsa was then brought inside, where her cousins were sitting; staring at the container the little girl was holding. The girl soon became accompanied by fear, and immediately darted to the kitchen, keeping the creature firmly in her hands. Her uncle always questioned Elsa's aloof behavior towards her cousins, and called her to come back. As usual, Elsa obeyed. She was then lead to the couch, where her uncle told her to stay.

"Why don't you play with your cousins Alex and Heather, Elsa? I'll be in the kitchen helping auntie with dinner. Meanwhile you kiddos could use a bit of free time. Your cousins have been eager to see you since Thursday."

Elsa accepted and remained where she was; seated on the couch in front of the other two children. She doubted the last sentence her uncle said to her. Her formal and well-mannered personality always collided with those of her cousins. Alex, a boy two years older than Elsa, was very tall for his age, thus giving him an advantage. The other girl Heather was only four months younger than Elsa. However, she was at least two inches taller, giving her the obnoxious assumption that she had the right not to respect Elsa. Elsa ignored them at this point, and took Darwin out. She giggled as he walked on her tiny hands.

"What's with the stupid rat, Elsie? Can I touch it?" called Alex. "Come on, I promise I won't drop it!"

Elsa pretended not to hear him and continued her play time with the turtle. Heather popped up behind the couch, staring at the small animal.

"That's a super small turtle. I bet it's a runt. It's going to die Elsie."

Elsa was hurt, but still managed to endure the harsh words. That seemed to work, until Alex grabbed the harmless reptile out of her hands.

Elsa pleaded for her pet, and anxiety crept up to her neck.

"Oh, you want this now?" Alex laughed. "Look fast Heather!"

He tossed the poor animal over to his sister.

Heather caught it and smirked. She wanted to play along too. The two children threw Darwin around back and forth for what seemed to be hours for the young Elsa. She stayed in the middle as if in a game, but unlike one stood there, with a speechless expression. She was on the verge of tears. The one thing that brought her joy had been snatched away from her. Literally.

Her aunt entered the room minutes later and called the children over for supper. She gasped at the event before her eyes.

"JEFF! I NEED YOUR HELP HERE!"

At this point in time Elsa was crying on the floor, with Darwin in her hands. The other kids had left the scene, and were upstairs hiding from their parents. The turtle had been exposed to the results of gravity too much, and could not take it anymore. Unfortunately the poor animal had passed away, and Elsa was a wreck. Her uncle came bursting out of the kitchen, and knew that his children had caused his niece misery again. He pitied Elsa, and became enraged at his own offspring.

"Alexander! Heather! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! YOU MURDERED AN INNOCENT ANIMAL!"

Elsa's aunt took the crying girl into the kitchen and comforted her.

* * *

><p>The girl specifically remembered the time when they buried Darwin. Her uncle bought her a new turtle shortly after the affair, and she named it Newton. A year later, she decided to let Newton go, for she believed that he deserved to live in his natural habitat. Elsa smiled, pushing back all the negative memories. She thought of the memories of the kindness her aunt and uncle had given her. However, this was short lived. Heather approached Elsa and shoved her.<p>

"Hey, Elsie! This is my room! Go be a lonely weirdo somewhere else!"

Heather scoffed, and continued her conversation with her friend on her smart phone. Elsa was disgusted and gave her a look.

"Yeah…no, it was nothing. I was just telling my annoying cousin to get the hell out of my new room. Yeah, I know right. Like she doesn't like do anything. She's so weird. The only reason she's even here is because her dumb parents like, died in a car crash."

Elsa was offended. The snotty tone of her cousin irritated her even more.

"You know Heather, I didn't ask to be stuck with a monster like you."

"…Oh what was that? Naw, it must've been like, the wind or something. Catcha later Brit. I love you XOXO. "

Elsa stood by the door, in greater disgust. Her cousin put her hands up to her forehead, and made an l-shape with her fingers. She stuck her tongue out while Elsa excited the room. Elsa no longer wanted to participate in this silly argument. She found it better to continue unpacking rather than to waste time with her immature cousin. She did not want to stoop down to her level.

_Fine, be like that Heather. You may torment me every day, and ridicule me at school, but deep down you know who the smart one is around here. Not even layers and layers of make-up can hide what you truly are. Enjoy your room. I prefer a smaller one anyway. _


	3. Library Volunteer

A week after moving, Elsa convinced her uncle that is was time to buy groceries. The family's new refrigerator had recently been installed, and her aunt finally got the microwave to work. Elsa was pleased because grocery shopping meant the eradication of fast food. She was already getting uneasy from consuming all those greasy burgers.

To her surprise, Elsa's uncle refused the children to accompany him and his wife at the superstore. Instead, they handed Elsa twenty dollars to spend at the outdoor mall; a nearby shopping plaza no further than three blocks from their house. The girl accepted the money, which she believed to be far too much for her taste, and followed her aunt to the car.

"No dear, you will be riding with Alex. He will be responsible for taking you and Heather to the mall."

Elsa was disappointed.

"Wouldn't it be more energy efficient if I just walked there? It's only a few blocks away. I can just call you when I'm done."

Her aunt and uncle exchanged looks at each other and came to a decision. Heather and Alex were already in the car, hoping that they would get a chance to mess with the smaller girl. Their father approached Elsa, who had been waiting for a response.

"I'm sorry Elsa, but we've decided that you better ride with your cousin while we are out. We don't want anyone wandering around alone. Besides, we don't really know this town much, and you don't have anyone to walk with you. So just stick with your cousins and be back by five okay. Do you understand?"

His last two sentences were spoken loudly, applying to his own children as well.

Elsa shook her head slowly and sat in the back of Alex's car. He and his sister were seated in the front, laughing at someone's Tumblr account. The girl in the back rested her head on the window and watched as her aunt and uncle drove away in the opposite direction. It was obvious that Alex purposely waited for them to leave, for they were planning to do something their cousin.

_Go ahead and do your worst. I'm waiting. I'm exposed. Come and get me. I'm dead to you anyway._

Alex started the car and kept the gear on park. Elsa was growing impatient.

"If you plan on leaving me in the middle of the road, better do it now. I'm sick of waiting."

Heather looked back and laughed with her brother, who bucked his seatbelt. He yanked the strap until it locked into position. Heather repeated. Elsa raised her eyebrow at them while grabbing her own seatbelt.

Seconds later, she found the car in full gear, racing across the street back and forth. Elsa was violently thrown back by the unexpected acceleration, and her heart was racing. Alex had never attempted to do anything _like that_.

The young girl became furious, and immediately unbuckled her belt.

"YOU ARE GOING TO KILL US! THIS IS ILLEGAL! YOU CAN'T SPEED IN A SLOW ZONE! WE HAVEN'T EVEN LEFT OUR STREET YET! Forget it! I'm out of here!"

Just as Elsa was exiting the vehicle, Alex gave a small trust of the car. Elsa stopped, frozen in her position, and managed to pull out. She began walking. Shortly after, the sound of her cousin's car was heard, moving off into the direction of the mall.

* * *

><p>Elsa had found a local library right across the block. She figured that this would be a safer place to stay; hence her cousins had left for the mall. She did not want to be anywhere near them at this moment, especially after the last incident in which she could have been seriously injured.<p>

The library was quite small compared to the one she frequently visited back in New York, but it seemed to be very efficient according to Elsa. The building's color scheme was based on the color light green, and it complied perfectly with the array of books. Elsa felt like she was in heaven. In a great state of fascination and wonder, she approached the front desk, hoping to be able to apply for a library card.

"How can I help you Miss?" said the middle-aged woman.

"Uh…I'd like to apply for a library card please. Forgive me, I'm new here."

"Well I see nothing wrong with that. Feel free to grab one of those forms there and I'll get you started."

Elsa was directed by the polite lady to get one of the pink forms, located near the entrance on a rack. She walked over there and grabbed one, examining all the requirements. Her heart sank when she found the 'phone number' portion of the application form. Elsa stared at it repeatedly with a perplexed expression on her face.

"Is there something wrong Miss?"

"I'm sorry…it happens to be that I cannot provide you with an adequate phone number."

"Is that so? Then why not use _your_ phone number?" The woman pointed to Elsa's pocket, in which she kept her phone.

Elsa explained to the humble receptionist.

"I actually just moved here from New York a week ago, and my uncle hasn't had the time to change our numbers yet. I believe it would be unhelpful if I gave you a number that has a New York area code."

"I'm very sorry dear, but the library needs your phone number. The last four digits are what we use as a code for borrowing books. I'm afraid we are done here for now. You are still free to stay here and look around though. I'm sorry that I was not much help."

"Oh no, you helped me plenty. Thank you very much."

Elsa left the information desk and headed her way towards the science fiction section. She was not particularly searching for a specific book, but enjoyed exploring the different genres of literature. She pondered around for about half an hour until she came into heavy contact with an out-of-control book cart.

Elsa was struck hard in the torso and foot, and was shoved back by the impact. She looked around for a second to see who had caused it, and soon enough she met her person. A redhead girl with freckles ran towards Elsa with headphones bobbing up and down on her neck. It was inferred by Elsa that she neglected the book cart due to her booming music. The disoriented girl lowered the volume on her headphones and pulled the book cart closer to her. Her face was very red, and it was clear that she meant no harm to Elsa.

"I am very very very very all the way to infinity if that's possible SORRY! I didn't mean to hit you with the cart. I was just dancing to some tunes while putting books away and I guess I got a bit carried away. Was it bad? Are you ok? Do you need a band-aid? Or ice? Or even a doctor? I can go call the receptionist and we….."

People began to stare in their direction. The slightly injured girl saw that others were bothered by the volume of this girl's voice. Elsa eventually figured there was no end to the redhead's rambling. She decided to end it.

"No no, I'm perfectly fine. Just a little jolted, but absolutely fine. Don't worry about me."

"Phewwww! I thought I was going to get yelled at again by my boss" she whispered.

The girl sighed, and continued.

"You see, I don't actually work here. I volunteered for the summer in order to gain work experience credit for high school. Sophomore year is coming up and I figured I'd finish my required hours."

The blushing volunteer put her hand behind her back in embarrassment as she waited for a response from the very serious girl. Elsa caught on.

"Oh, I see. I volunteered at the comic store once, but I eventually became too busy."

Elsa wanted to remain in good conversation with this girl. She seemed very sweet and was one of the few teenagers who were actually nice to her.

"You read comics? By the looks of it, you don't seem like a comic person. And also, the book you've got there contrasts with the whole 'I read comic books thing'."

"This?"

Elsa looked at the book she held and saw why the other girl had questioned her book choice.

" Well, I tend to read everything. Sometimes I want to read something soothing, other times I want to see adventure and action. It really depends on my mood, you know."

The library volunteer read the title of Elsa's book.

"Oh, a book by H. G. Wells! Many people here seem to enjoy it. Mrs. Kimberly read his book about aliens invading the Earth, and Mr. Fernandez comes by to rent the old movies."

There was a short pause.

"You seem to know everyone around here" said Elsa.

"Well yeah, I've been working here a lot. Hey, that reminds me. I haven't seen _you_ around here before. What's your name?"

"Elsa"

"That's quite the name you've got there."

"And may I ask what yours may be?"

"It's Anna. Nothing special. Just plain old Anna you're talking to. How old are you Elsa?"

"Fourteen. My birthday is in December."

"Coolio! Same here! I guess we're the young ones in our year! Hey, what school are you going to?!"

There were shushes coming from the other patrons. Anna mouthed the word 'sorry' to them while Elsa continued with a quieter voice.

"I'm not exactly sure what it's called. My uncle didn't tell me yet. I just moved here from New York."

"Fascinating….

* * *

><p>The conversation between the two girls lasted until 4:30, when Elsa realized it was time to go. After all, she still had to walk a few blocks home and explain the whole ordeal to her aunt. Elsa politely dismissed herself, and was unprepared for the hug Anna gave her. She was even surprised when Anna lent her library card to borrow books that day. Despite Anna's opposite personality, Elsa loved talking to her. There was something about her that Elsa couldn't understand. She was an interesting person, and therefore she wanted to learn more.<p>

Elsa thought about her encounter with the library volunteer during her journey back to Malbury; holding the books in her hands. Anna even threw in a few graphic novels for Elsa to read. Elsa smiled while remembering how they met. They had gotten along so quickly that it amused her. However, she began hating herself for forgetting the most important thing when meeting a new friend.

_I'm such an air-head. I forgot to ask what her phone number was._


End file.
